Seasoned partners often recall their first months on the job: dropped off at a client’s office, told to figure it out, and left to learn the hard way. They may have been under a watchful eye, but little guidance. That approach shaped many successful careers – but times have changed.

Today’s young professionals were raised differently. Under far more attentive parenting, they were guided through challenges rather than left alone to struggle. If they fell behind in soccer at age five, they got a coach. If they struggled with math in fourth grade, they got a tutor. If they needed help learning an instrument in eighth grade, they received lessons. At the same time, constant access to technology accelerated their learning and expanded their expectations.

What did they learn from this environment?

They learned that when leaders care, they don’t just offer encouragement – they provide resources, coaching, and opportunities to succeed. Today’s workers believe success is achievable when leaders prepare them well. When leaders fail to do so, the absence of support is interpreted as indifference.

That perception has consequences. Young professionals will either settle into mediocrity to keep a paycheck or leave to pursue growth elsewhere. And it’s rarely about money.

The old approach, throwing people into the deep end, is no longer effective. Young professionals expect leaders to put them in positions to succeed. That expectation now defines how careers are built. And that’s what they expect.